Soda-water fountain



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-A.' D. PUFFER. sum WATER FOUNTAIN.

No. 415,883. Patented NOV. 26, 1889.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. A D PUPPER $0DA WATER FOUNTAIN.

No. 415,883. Patented Nov. 26, 1889.

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UNITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

ALVIN I). PUFFER, OF MEDFORD, ASSIGNOR TOJlHE A. I). PUFFER & SONS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SODA-WATER FOUNTAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,883, dated November 26, 1889. Application filed September 19, 1889. Serial No. 324,418. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVIN D. PUFFER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Medf0rd, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sotla-IVater Fountains; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to soda-water fount ains; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction by which the condense-water which forms exteriorly beneath the coolingchamber and above the sirup-cans is to be controlled and governed in its flow or escape from said fountain, as likewise the water from the melting ice within the cooler.

The primary feature in my invention consists in making the bottom of the cooler sloping, thus directing the condensations rearwardly; further, in reversely sloping the floor upon which the sirup-cans rest, and in securing a plate with a serrated lower edge along the lowermost edge of the cooler-bottom, and which extends both above and below the latter. By such an arrangement the sirup-eans are kept clean and dry, and it is not necessary to make said cans closed at the top. Moreover, all the cooling properties of the condensations and of the waste water from the cooler are obtained before such liquid is discharged.

A second feature is in the arrangement of the sirup-cans, which are grouped and provided each with supports at the rear to prevent tipping, as likewise to obviate wear in the act of drawing them out or returning them to place.

A third feature consists in the manner of locking the cans in front, so that the dispensing-cock may be easily and readily operated, while the can is held fixed firmly in posit-ion.

The drawings represent, in Figure 1, a front elevation Fig. 2, a vertical cross-section. Fig.

3 is an elevation from the rear, with the back wall in part removed to show the serrated plate or distributor. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a sirup-can. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the locking-bar, in cross-section, with part of sirup-can in elevation.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown at 2 soda-water fountain composed of an exterior ornamentalrectangular structure with an interior metallic box, subdivided into a cooling-chamber 3,in which are located the cylinders 4, charged with mineral or soda water and connected with the faucets 5 5 6, from which are dispensed, respectively, mineral and soda waters. The bottom 7 of the cooling-chamber is to be inclined, (see Fig. 2,) and is not attached to the metallic back 9 of the fountain. Moreover, secured to the rear edge of said bottom and extending some distance both above and below it is a vertical plate 10, running longitudinally the entire length of the fountain. Thus a catch-basin is formed to retain temporarily the water from the melting ice, and said water serves to cool the coils of pipe within the chamber 3 and through which the mineral or other waters are passed. l urthermore, the lower edge of this plate 10 is serrated or cut into'a series of points, as shown in Fig. 3, at 12. These serrations perform an important office, since they act as distributors and prevent the overflow from the cooling-chamber occurring at one place, assuming that the fountain is horizontally adjusted. Further, it serves to distribute the water, which condenses exteriorly, but beneath the bottom of said chamber. Thus the drops of water, as they strike the surface of the plate 10, are

carried down upon the series of points, and

slowly by dripping in lieu of by a continuous stream.

Beneath the cooling or ice chamber is formed a second chamber 14 for the reception to flow transversely over the entire surface of said top, presuming the fountain is horizontally located, and thence, after dripping down, is again directed over the reverselysloping floor 16 before it can escape by way of the waste-pipe. (Shown at 17 in broken lines.) In this way all its cooling properties are obtained, and the can-chamber is maintained at a low temperature.

This soda-water fountain belongs to that class in which the sirup-cans are adapted to slide in and out from the front of the fountain. In the present instance, Fig. 4, I have shown a sirup-can as an oblong rectangular liquid-tight vessel 15, provided with a fillingaperture and with a faucet or dispensing-cock 1S. Attached to the can-front, but held removed therefrom by arms or brackets, is an ornamental plate or false front 19, which is of a length somewhat greater than the width of the opening 20, through which the cans are to be passed into the fountain. This opening 20 extends the entire front of the fountain, and when the cans as a group are all in place said opening is closed, the false fronts 19 then presenting an ornamental surface, .(see Fig. 1,) and occupying the opening 20, which permits of the introduction or withdrawal of the cans from the fountain.

Longitudinally secured upon the fountainfront by bolts or otherwise is a locking-bar 21, which is furnished with a vertical lip 23. The latter is to project above and in front of the lower edge of the can-front 19. Thus when the cansare in place the lip 23 prevents forward movement and displacement of the can. Moreover at the rear extremity of each can is affixed a transverse support 24, composed of a casting with feet, the latter restingupon the floor of the chamber 14, while their-ends engage a series of guides 25, arranged in parallelism but across the floor. Thus the guides serve to direct the movement of each can in the act of pulling it'forward or thrusting it back, when occasion requires them to be replenished, and the use of partitions are avoided. On the other hand, the casting or support 24 obviates Wear of the can and serves to prevent the latter from tipping sidewise when the faucets are actuated. Further, by reference to Fig.2 it will be seen that the feet of the supports 24 do not project beyond the sides of the can; hence the latter is directed in its moyements in or out of the fountain, the use of partitions obpushed rearwardly until the back of the false front 19 contacts with the exterior face of the lip on the locking-bar 21. The can is now lifted slightly, when the false frontis pushed home against the fountain-front and finally dropped intoplace, as shown in Fig. 1, the horizontal broken line indicating the lower edge of the false front behind the lip 23, also shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

By such construction, as hereinbefore premised, the condense-water exteriorly of the cooling-chamber is prevented from dropping upon the sirup -cans. The latter are thus kept dry and clean, and there is no necessity for closing the sirup-cans at the top. Moreover, the reversely-sloping floor thus not only serves to support the sirup-cans, but since the water from the distributerplate causes the surface of said floor to be flowed over, the cooling properties of such water are more fully obtained, such cooling being superinduced by the evaporation which occurs during the flow of said water in a thin film over the floor in the confined space of the canchamber.

That I desire to claim is 1. In sodawater fountains, the combination, with a coolingchamber having an inclined bottom and a chamber with a reverselysloping floor adapted to contain a group of sirup-cans, of a plate serrated vat its lower edge and secured longitudinally of the bottom of the cooling-chamber, projecting both above and below the lowermost edge of the latter, substantially as and for purposes herein described.

2. In soda-water fountains, a can-chamber provided with aninclined roof terminating in a vertical plate extending above and below the plane of said roof and with serrations upon its lower edge, an overflow-passage between said plate and the wall of the fountain, a reversely-sloping floor or bottom provided with a discharge-orifice, and an aperture along the entire fountain-front, through which a series of cans are to be inserted within the can-chamber, substantially as specified.

3. In combination with a can-chamber having a top and bottom reversely inclined, and a longitudinal front aperture for the admission of sirup-cans, a group of cans provided with false fronts, each front being of a length greater than the width of the aperture, and the group serving to close said aperture, substantially as herein set forth.

4. The combination, with a series of sirupcans provided with false fronts 19 and rear supports 24, of a soda-water fountain adapted to contain said cans and composed of a cool- In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALVIN D. PUFFER.

Witnesses:

H. E. LODGE, FRANCIS C. STANWOOD. 

